Of Life and Light
by Seeker2019
Summary: Summary: Under orders from King Regis to head out and accompany Prince Noctis, and his friends on their way to Altissia to meet with Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret for his wedding; Nai'lia Khristia a member of the Crownsguard heads out on the mission she is given by the king. What awaits this young Crownsguard member? Read and find out.
1. Under Orders

Of Life and Light

Game: Final Fantasy XV

Rating: M+

Pairing: Gladiolus Amicitia X Original Character

Romance X Adventure

Disclaimer: All rights and characters belong to Square Enix and Hajime, Tabata along with Tetsuya, Nomura. The original character in the story is the only thing that I own.

Summary: Under orders from King Regis to head out and accompany Prince Noctis, and his friends on their way to Altissia to meet with Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret for his wedding; Nai'lia Khristia a member of the Crownsguard heads out on the mission she is given by the king. What awaits this young Crownsguard member? Read and find out.

Author's Note: The story is an alternate universe, but it follows along with the main storyline of the game. I wanted to introduce the original character, Nai'lia Khristia into the story. In the game Monica speaks about the Crownsguard, but only she and Dustin along with Marshal Cor Leonis made it out of Insomnia with Iris Amictitia after the fall. Nai'lia is the marshal's adopted daughter in this.

You'll learn more about Nai'lia's background in the later chapters, but if you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them.

Seeker2019

Chapter 1: Under Orders

Hammerhead Outpost - 12:00 PM

A sleek motorcycle pulls into the gas station, and a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties removed her helmet looking around with a serious look on her face. Her waist length black hair was pulled back into a tight braid that hung over her right shoulder; her piercing blue eyes were what stood out the most about her, she was small for her age standing at only 5'2" with a medium build, but she had an air of authority about her that demanded respect. She was wearing the standard black Crownsguard outfit, a color that's only associated with the royal family. The outfit that she was wearing consisted of a trenchcoat; along with a black tank top, pants, and fingerless gloves all of which were made from faux leather, and a pair of black combat boots completed the look. You could tell right off that she was Galahdian due to the small tribal tattoo under her left eye, and a pair of razor sharp dual blades that she had on her at all times. She was somebody that you wouldn't want to mess with, if you know what's good for you that is.

She saw Cindy outside the garage speaking with her grandfather, Cid about business, but paid no attention to them and got off the motorcycle. She made her way towards Takka's Pit Stop, and headed inside looking for information on the prince's current location. Looking up from where he was wiping down the counter, Takka welcomed her and she nodded at him in acknowledgement. Slowly making her way over to where he was, she sat down in front of him when she arrived, and he asked her what he could do for her once she was sitting down.

"What can I do for you?" He asked with a serious look on his face noticing that she had an air of authority about her. She took out her cellphone and began to type a message out on it; once she was done she held it up for Takka to read.

 _My name is Nai'lia Khristia, a member of the Crownsguard. This is the only form of communication I use due to what happened to me when I was younger. I don't want to go into detail about it anytime soon. Right now I'm here on Crownsguard business. I'm under orders from the king to meet up with the prince, and accompany him to Altissia along with his friends for his wedding to Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Do you know where he is?_

Takka nodded to show that he did, and started explaining to her how Prince Noctis had left out for Galdin Quay two days prior to her arrival in Hammerhead. Him and his three friends had to run an errand for Cindy Aurum, Cid's granddaughter while Cid worked on the Regalia in the garage. He also told her that the prince had a hand in locating a hunter named Dave, not to long after Prince Noctis and the others had dealt with the reaper tails for Cindy. They had to take out a small group of sabertusks that had surrounded an old builing that the hunter had taken up refuge in after spraining his ankle, and then were tasked by Dave to take down a dual horn known as the "Blood Horn" for him; during his explantion he had found time to hand over a map to Nai'lia of the area, and give her directions on how to get to there directly from Hammerhead.

 _Thank you, Takka. I'll be on my way now._

She typing on her phone once again, and showing it to him once more. He nodded watching her as she put it away, and headed outside to where she had parked her motorcycle. Picking up her helmet off the seat and putting it back on, she got back on her motorcycle after fueling it up with gas and paying for it at the Mini Mart. She pulled out of the gas station five minutes later leaving Hammerhead behind and heading to Galdin Quay. Once she had left and was back on the road again, Nai'lia started making her way to meet up with the prince and his friends, who had arrived at the seaside resort two days prior to her departure from Insomnia.

Twenty minutes into her drive it was starting to heat up so she stopped in at the Crow's Nest Diner that was located at the Longwythe Rest Area, which was still over an hour and a half drive away from the seaside resort of Galdin Quay. After she had parked her motorcycle in a parking space in front of the diner she heard her phone go off so she took it out of her back pants pocket, and proceeded to unlock it; noticing who it was that was contacting her she opened up the message and immediately replied to it.

 _N. Khristia: Marshal, what is it?_

 _Marshal C. Leonis: Khristia, _did you locate the prince?__

 _N. Khristia: Yes, Marshal. He and his friends are in Galdin Quay, sir._

 _Marshal C. Leonis: Good job, Khristia. You have your orders; meet up with the prince, and accompany him and his friends to Altissia._

 _N. Khristia: Understood, sir._

Once she had sent the message to the marshal, she put away her phone shielding her eyes against the glare of the sun with her hand. Running her other hand through her hair that had come undone, she got off her motorcycle and headed inside the diner to order lunch. Ten minutes later found Nai'lia sitting in a booth with a steaming plate of Kenny's fries sitting in front of her, and an ice cold Jetty's set off to the side along with the map of the area that she was given back in Hammerhead. Taking a small bite out of one of her fries once they had cooled down some she thought about the meeting she had had earlier that day with King Regis, and closed her eyes going over it while it was still fresh on her mind.

 _Flashback_

 _Making her way to the throne room to meet with King Regis, Nai'lia walked next to the Marshal _listening to him intently as he _ _explained to her _ _about the prince's departure from Insomnia two days ago for his wedding to Lady Lunafreya Nox Flueret in Altissia. Nodding in acknowledgement she had a stoic look on her face; she'd heard about the envoy from Niflheim that had spoken with the king about terms of peace between Insomnia and the Niflheim Empire from her friends in the Kingsglaive the day before.______

 _Once they'd both arrived at the throne room five minutes later, they entered and bowed to the king waiting for him to speak. King Regis acknowledged them dismissing the council members from where he sat on the throne. Once all of the council members had left he told them that they could rise, and motioned for Nai'lia to step forth, and she did so walking up to the dais standing at attention before her king with her arms behind her back._

" _Nai'lia Khrishia, as you've heard, Niflheim has come forth with terms of peace to end the war between us. To ensure that Insomnia remains unharmed, I am to relinquish all lands outside of the Crown City to the empire, and see my son wed to the Oracle, Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae." The king began to speak with authority, but his eyes were filled with an emotion that Nai'lia couldn't place as he looked down on her from where he sat on the throne with a serious look on his face._

" _You are to set forth from Insomnia, meet with Prince Noctis and his friends, and accompany them to Altissia for his wedding. I've already had Commander Drautos send out one of the Kingsglaive to meet with the Oracle, and see her safely to Altissia." He finished with an air of finality about him. Nai'lia bowed her head to show that she understood, and turned around to leave the throne room and head back to her quarters to pack her bags._

 _Back in the throne room with King Regis and Cor Leonis, they were discussing his external assignment to protect the population of Insomnia. During their discussion Clarus Amicitia, the King's Shield had joined them twenty minutes later and began to go over the preparations for Emperor Aldercapt's arrival in the Crown City for the signing of the peace treaty between Niflheim and Insomnia._

 _End Flashback_

Having finished off her plate of Kenny's fries, and her second bottle of ice cold Jetty's, Nai'lia stood up from where she sat in the booth and went to pay for her meal. Once it had been paid for she headed outside, and walked over to the vendor next to the diner to stock up on curatives, and other supplies that she'd need on the road. 'That should be it for the moment.' She thought to herself and went over the list once again in her mind to be sure she had what she needed.

'Do not forget your true calling, young one. Continue to grow stronger, and when that day comes for you to fulfill it, you will fulfill it without question.' She heard an older woman's voice informing her of her duty that she was tasked with, and she closed her eyes answering back in tongue.

'Intelligendum fiet.' She stated in a serious voice running a hand swiftly through her hair once again before getting back on her bike. Ever since she was younger Nai'lia could hear a woman's voice calling out to her in her mind, and later found out who it was when she was older. It was the Goddess Etro herself who was calling out to her, and she soon learned that it was by her grace that she survived that day her family was murdered when she was eight years old.

'You've come a long way, but you still have much to learn. You already know what you need to do, but be warned you must never allow anyone to learn about who you truly are.' The voice continued to inform her in a serious voice as she got back on the road making her way to Galdin Quay. Nai'lia sighed in frustration and told Etro that she understood, and that was the last she heard from the goddess that day.

Galdin Quay: 2:00 P.M.

Upon her arrival in Galdin Quay, Nai'lia saw the Regalia parked in one of the resorts parking spaces; she pulled in next to it and parked before shutting off the engine and getting off her motorcycle. She looked around the resort seeking out the prince and his friends, and when she spotted them heading her way; she started making her way towards them, it was Ignis Scientia who was the first to spot her and a serious look appeared on his face. The prince and the other two followed suit, and looked over at Ignis looking for answers, but he shook his head and walked towards Nai'lia while his friends followed behind him at a distance.

"Can we help you?" He asked her in a serious voice watching as she nodded, and pulled out her phone from her back pants pocket. She then began to type out a message, and once she was done she held it out for him to read.

 _ _I'm under strict _orders from the king to accompany the prince to Altissia for his wedding. Please do not ask me why I'm using my phone to communicate with you, I don't wish to discuss it.___

Ignis looked up once he had finished reading the message, and took the phone from her showing it to Prince Noctis and the other two for them to read. While he was doing this Nai'lia stood at attention with her arms behind her back, and had a serious look on her face waiting on them to finish discussing what they were going to do. Five minutes later Ignis and the others were in agreement, and they informed Nai'lia that they got the message watching her nod in acknowledgement.

Once Nai'lia had grabbed her bags from her motorcycle, and had checked in at the resort she met up with Prince Noctis and the others at the Mother of Pearl restaurant for lunch. After everyone had ordered their lunch, and were seated around the bar eating and talking with Coctura, Prince Noctis looked over at Nai'lia whom was sitting next to Ignis and Gladio eating her meal and asked her what her name was. She looked up from her plate of Steamed Crab with Rock Salt, and over at the prince before pulling her phone out once more and typing out another message on it.

 _My name is Nai'lia Khristia, Your Highness._

Was the message that had been typed out on her phone, and he nodded handing it back to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nai'lia Khristia." Prince Noctis stated with a smile on his face. "I'm looking forward to traveling with you to Altissia." The others had finished their meals, and were now paying attention to what was going on between their prince and the Crownsguard member. Prompto threw his arm around Noctis' shoulder giving Nai'lia a huge smile agreeing with his friend, Ignis had a small smile on his face too, but Gladio was the only one who wasn't smiling; he was finding it hard to accept Nai'lia's presence, it didn't bode well with him.

Once everyone had finished their meals, and had paid for it they spoke with Coctura about taking on some hunts. She cheerfully thanked them as they left and set out to complete the hunts they had taken on. By the time night had fallen, and the hunts were completed everyone was ready to turn in for the night, but not before they had turned in their bounty to Coctura and received their payment. They were all covered in small cuts and bruises here and there; some more so than others, but their hunts had been successful and they all got back a decent amount of gil for them as a reward.

"Goodnight Nai, we'll see you in the morning!" Prompto exclaimed in a cheerful voice waving at her before throwing his arm over the prince's shoulder, and dragging him to their room where Gladio had headed once they had turned in the bounty. That just left her and Ignis now, and he motioned for her to join him. She nodded and followed him out onto the pier, and they both gazed up at the night sky.

"Today has been a long day for all us, but tomorrow we'll set sail for Altissia for the prince's wedding to Lady Lunafreya. A man named Dino Ghiranze is organizing for a ship to take us there, but in return we had to hunt down a certain gem for him in exchange of his services." Ignis informed her as they both continued to gaze up at the night sky in companionable silence. It was starting to get late, and Ignis bowed to Nai'lia excusing himself; she watched as he made his way back to the hotel room that he was sharing with the others. She began to make her way back to her own room for the night, but was caught off guard as she was plagued by visions that began to appear at an alarming rate; causing her to step back to grip the railing tightly behind her, and leaning against it for support. The Crown City of Insomnia was being invaded by Niflheim; she saw the explosions going off outside the citadel, followed by the fight that took place inside the treaty room. The treaty was nothing but a ruse allowing them to invade the Crown City, and take the crystal that lies behind the safety of its walls.

She watched as the king's finger was cut off by Genreal Glauca, Ravus picking it up off the floor and placing it on his hand calling on the Lucii, but was deemed unworthy by them and having his arm burnt by the Ring of the Lucii; she witnessed as Clarus Amicitia attacked the general, but was killed in the end by being impaled by a sword that the general had thrown at him pinning his body against a railing. Everything after that was a blur, but she ended up witnessing as King Regis was struck down by General Glauca, which angered her and caused her blood to boil, but she couldn't do anything about it due to her being with Prince Noctis and his friends. How could she tell them that their home had fallen into the hands of the Niflheim Empire, and that along with the crystal being taken the king was dead? Pushing away from the railing she unsteadily made her way back to her own room, collapsing onto bed curling up against a pillow weeping for the loss of her king and Insomnia's fall.

'This is why he ordered me to accompany the prince. He knew that this was about to happen.' She thought to herself falling asleep with unshed tears in her eyes.

Author's Note: This chapter for "Of Life and Light" is completed. Let me know how it turned out, and if you have any questions I'll answer them for you. The next chapter will be focused around chapter two of the game, but it will be around a week or two before it's up.

Translations:

"Intelligendum fiet" is Latin for "Understood, it will be done."

GoddessofWisdom2018


	2. The Journey Begins

Of Life and Light

Game: Final Fantasy XV

Rating: M+

Pairing: Gladiolus Amicitia X Original Character

Romance X Adventure

Disclaimer: All rights and characters belong to Square Enix and Hajime, Tabata along with Tetsuya, Nomura.

 _Previously in Chapter 1: Under Orders_

 _"Today has been a long day for all us, but tomorrow we'll set sail for Altissia for the prince's wedding to Lady Lunafreya. A man named Dino Ghiranze is organizing for a ship to take us there, but in return we had to hunt down a certain gem for him in exchange of his services." Ignis informed her as they both continued to gaze up at the night sky in companionable silence. _It was starting to get late, and Ignis bowed to Nai'lia excusing himself; she watched as he made his way back to the _hotel _room that he was sharing with the others. She began to make her way back to her own room for the night, but _was caught off guard as _ _ _she was plagued by visions that began to appear at an alarming rate; _ _causing her to step back to grip the railing tightly behind her, _ _and leaning _ _ _ _ _ _ _against it for support. The Crown City of Insomnia was being invaded by Niflheim; she saw the explosions going off outside the citadel, followed by the fight that took place inside the treaty room. The treaty was nothing but a ruse allowing them to invade the Crown City, and take the crystal that lies behind the safety of its walls.___________________

 _She watched as the king's finger was cut off by Genreal Glauca, Ravus picking it up off the floor and placing it on his hand calling on the Lucii, but was deemed unworthy by them and having his arm burnt by the Ring of the Lucii; she witnessed as Clarus Amicitia attacked the general, but was killed in the end by being impaled by a sword that the general had thrown at him pinning his body against a railing. Everything after that was a blur, but she ended up witnessing as King Regis _was struck down by General Glauca, which angered her and caused her blood to boil, but she couldn't do anything about it due to her being with Prince Noctis and his friends. How could she tell them that their home had fallen into the hands of the Niflheim Empire, and that along with the crystal being taken the king was dead? Pushing away from the railing she unsteadily made her way back to her own room, collapsing onto bed curling up against a pillow weeping for the loss of her king and Insomnia's fall.__

 _'This is why he ordered me to accompany the prince. He knew that this was about to happen.' She thought to herself falling asleep with unshed tears in her eyes._

Chapter 2: The Journey Begins - Part One

Galdin Quay: 6:00 A.M.

Leaning against the railing, and looking out across the Vannath Coast; Nai'lia had a clouded look in her eyes as the newspaper she held hung loose in her hand. She had forgone wearing her coat that morning, and her hair was not in it's usual braid, but cascaded down around her waist; you could see a large intricate tribal tattoo wrapped around her upper right arm, a six chain skull choker hanging around her neck, and wrapped around her upper left arm was a eight chain armband with small feathers hanging on it. News of the fall of the Crown City of Insomnia had made the headlines overnight. Hearing Ignis heading towards her she had to look away from him, closing her eyes so that he wouldn't see how bloodshot they were from all the crying she did the night before, or the look of loss that shown on her face as clear as day.

"Good morning, Nai'lia. How are you doing today?" He greeted joining her out on the boardwalk that overlooked the ocean. When she didn't move to pull out her phone, he looked over and saw that she was looking away from him with her eyes closed. Upon seeing the trail of dried tears that remained on her face, and how exhausted she looked he laid his hand on her shoulder, but when she pulled away from his touch he knew immediately that there was something wrong.

"What's wrong?" He asked with an unsettled look on his own face, and apprehension in his voice. Afraid to look him in the eyes Nai'lia hesitantly handed Ignis the newspaper that she was holding, and he slowly took it from her watching as her hand fell limply to her side. The moment he saw the headline that was printed on the front of it, he knew at that moment why she was afraid to look at him upon his arrival. Once he was done reading about Insomnia's fall and the death of the king, he took off his glasses covering his eyes with his hand deep in thought about what to do.

"His Highness won't take this news too lightly, but he has to know about what happened." Ignis informed Nai'lia in a serious voice, after five minutes of going over what they were going to do in his head. Nai'lia looked over at him with a grim look on her face, nodding at Ignis in silent agreement. She watched him put his glasses back on, and stood at attention upon Ignis looking back at her with a composed look on his face.

"We mustn't keep His Highness waiting. Come with me Nai'lia." Ignis stated in a collected voice, and she followed right behind him back to the hotel room. Upon their arrival Ignis asked Nai'lia to wait outside, and opened the door heading inside. Nai'lia stood at attention outside with her arms behind her back listening to what was going on inside attentively.

She heard Prince Noctis questioning Ignis, and listened as Prompto solemnly read off "Insomnia Falls," followed by the prince asking what he meant. Ignis told him to calm down before he started proceeding to explain what had happened, followed by Gladio reading the newspaper out loud so that everyone could hear what was written in it.

Ignis eventually continued to explain to them that they had no way of knowing that the signing of the treaty had taken place the night before; outside waiting next to the hotel room Nai'lia had closed her eyes tuning out the rest of the conversation, already knowing what needed to be done from that day forward.

'King Regis, Lord Clarus, your sons have a long and hard road ahead of them. But I will fulfill this duty that was given to me, and continue to accompany them on their journey to Altissia.' She proceeded to make a silent oath to them slowly opening her eyes when she heard the door opening next to her. Looking over she saw Ignis coming out with a serious look on his face, and she walked over to him; looking over his shoulder into the room she saw Prompto standing in front of the window with his arms crossed, and the prince sitting down in a chair with his head bowed.

Gladio glared accusingly at her with an angry look on his face, and Nai'lia felt Ignis placing a hand on her shoulder drawing her attention away from him and the others. She gazed back at him as he shook his head telling her to ignore Gladio, and promptly informing her that they were going to set out for Insomnia soon. He explained to her that she needed to head to back to her room to grab her bag, and check out of the hotel in a serious voice before heading back inside the room with the others to do the same.

He made no mention of why Gladio was angry, but deep down in her heart she knew the reasons why he had looked upon her in anger; bowing her head in acknowledgement, Nai'lia headed back to her own room to grab her bag, and then proceeded to check out of the hotel ahead of the others. Once she was done with that she made her way out to the parking lot where her motorcycle was parked beside the Regalia to wait for the others to arrive.

Ten minutes later she saw the prince and his friends heading her way, and got onto her motorcycle waiting for them to arrive. Watching her closely as he approached, Gladio put their bags in the back of the Regalia while Nai'lia watched Prince Noctis get in the back seat without saying a word to anyone. Prompto acknowledged her with a short nod of his head, and took his place in the passenger's seat while Ignis swiflty got in on the driver's side.

Once all of them had gotten in the Regalia, and Ignis had started the engine they pulled out of the parking lot followed behind by Nai'lia. It had begun to rain ten minutes after they had left Galdin Quay, and it had started to rain even harder the closer they got to Insomnia. As they continued on past Hammerhead towards Insomnia they saw Imperial dreadnaughts, and dropships flying overhead making their way to the Crown City too.

'This is where the true journey begins, young one. Are you ready for what lies ahead?' Nai'lia heard the goddess exclaim in a serious voice, and she nodded her head as she began to speak with Etro, but kept her eyes expertly trained on the road as she continued to follow behind the Regalia as it slowly made its way to Insomnia. 'Fui praesto diu domina. Nescio quid agendum et videbo illum ad finem.' She stated dutifully, and felt Etro's approval satisfied with the answer that had been given.

'The king and his shield have heard your oath, and can be at ease knowing that you're accompanying their sons on this journey.' Etro clarified and Nai'lia felt the goddess' presence leave her mind. She brought her motorcycle to a stop behind the Regalia upon their arrival at the checkpoint to the Crown City of Insomnia; cars were stopped ahead of them with people standing outside, there were multiple Imperial soldiers, and Magitek troopers stationed at the gates guarding them closely not allowing anyone in, or out of the Crown City.

She slowly backed up following behind the Regalia as it took a different route to try to get into the city. Coming to a stop five minutes later, she killed the engine to her motorcycle getting off of it at the same time as the others got out of the Regalia. She swiftly made her way over to them as they made their way up a set of stairs, and spotted some Imperial soldiers patrolling the area nearby. Calling upon their weapons quickly they began to briskly fight their way through the patrolling soldiers, and taking out the sentries that were stationed near the hill overlooking the Crown City along their way.

It took them thirty minutes to finish taking out all of the Imperials soldiers and Magitek Troopers, but with that out of the way they stood out on the hill overlooking Insomnia. Seeing with their owns eyes that the Crown City had fallen into the hands of the empire had a deep impact on them all. Nai'lia stood apart from the others looking at the city with despair in her eyes; in her visions she didn't get to see what happened to her friends amongst the Kingsglaive, but deep down in her heart she knew that they didn't survive the fall. On Prompto's phone the news was going, and as they all continued to listen to the broadcast it announced that along with the king being dead the Oracle, and Prince Noctis were also pronounced dead.

Gladio told Prompto to keep it on, but he lost his grip dropping the phone on the ground. He was about to pick it up when Prince Noctis told him not to bother with it. Ignis knelt down picking it up handing it back; while Gladio pulled out his own followed by the prince whom did the same as Imperial dreadnaughts and dropships flew overhead. She heard him greet the marshal, watching as the prince began to move about speaking with him. She bowed her head when he started raising his voice, and ran a hand through her hair to brush it out of her face.

Hearing the prince let out a sharp exhale; she slowly looked up to see that he was looking back at the city, and watched as he lowered his phone to his side. Ignis walked up to him asking him what the marshal had to say, and he told him that the marshal was waiting for them in Hammerhead; followed by Gladio asking him about the king, but took the prince's grave sigh as proof that it was true about the king being dead.

Walking over to Ignis, Nai'lia laid her hand on his shoulder gaining his attention along with the others. She motioned for him to follow her; the others stood there watching as they walked off to the side waiting for them both to return. Pulling out her phone without delay, Nai'lia began to quickly type out a message on it, and once she was done typing it out she handed the phone over to Ignis to read.

 _I'll meet all of you in Hammerhead, Scientia. I need to speak with the marshal in private about important Crownsguard matters._

Ignis looked up at her with a serious look on his face handing the phone back to her, and watched as she put it away. As a despondent look appeared on her own face Ignis knew what she meant. He nodded as she turned around walking away, and the moment she was out of sight Ignis turned around walking back over to the where the others were waiting.

"Where is she going, Ignis?!" Gladio asked in an angry voice crossing his arms over his chest glaring at him. Ignis informed them that Nai'lia would meet them back in Hammerhead, and explained in a serious voice that she had to speak with the marshal about important Crownsguard matters in private. Prince Noctis nodded in understanding along with Prompto, but Gladio continued to glare not buying a word that his friend told him.

"Your anger towards Nai'lia is highly uncalled for, Gladio. What did she do to make you angry with her?" Ignis exclaimed in a firm voice adjusting his glasses giving a pointed look at the shield. Gladio uncrossed his arms looking away from the advisor without answering him. Prompto and Prince Noctis sighed in exasperation, asking Ignis and Gladion if they could get a move on, and head back to Hammerhead to speak with Marshal Cor Leonis along with joining back up with Nai'lia.

"Don't think I'm not done with you, Gladio. You will answer my question once we've met with the marshal!" Ignis stated pointedly as they made their way back to where they parked the Regalia earlier. After everyone had made it back they climbed in without saying a word to each other; Ignis started the engine to the Regalia, turning the car around and started driving back to Hammerhead to meet with Marshal Cor Leonis and Na'lia.

Author's Note: This will be broken down into three parts; the next part will be focused around the time they go to Hammerhead, and then set out for the Prairie Outpost to meet with the marshal so Prince Noctis can obtain the royal arms, followed by helping the marshal take out the imperial soldiers that the empire set up at the Norduscaen Blockade in part three. They also learn about the relationship between the marshal and Nai'lia. Sorry it took this long to upload the chapter, this is a busy time for me; with Christmas coming up, and then moving to a new city at the start of the New Year is going to keep me occupied.

Translations:

'Fui praesto diu domina. Nescio quid agendum et videbo illum ad finem' is Latin for 'I've been ready for a long time, my lady. I know what must be done, and I'll see it through to the end.'

Seeker2019


	3. The Journey Begins-Legacy

Of Life and Light

Games: Final Fantasy XV

Rating: M+

Pairing: Gladiolus Amicitia X Original Character

Romance X Adventure

Disclaimer: All rights and characters belong to Square Enix and Hajime, Tabata along with Tetsuya, Nomura.

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins – Legacy

Hammerhead Outpost

Having left Prince Noctis and the others over twenty minutes ago, Nai'lia finally pulled into Hammerhead's gas station and saw the marshal waiting for her next to the garage with his arms crossed over his chest, and a serious look on his face. Shutting off the engine to the motorcycle and taking off her helmet, she ran a hand through her hair to get it out of her face as she got off her bike steadily making her way towards him. Once she had arrived she stood at attention in front of him, and waited for him to speak.

"Khristia, it's good to see you again. Where are Prince Noctis and his friends?" He stated in a serious voice patiently watching as Nai'lia pulled out her cellphone and began to type out a message for him. Once she was done typing it out and handing it over to him to read, Nai'lia waited with her hand resting loosely on her hip.

 _I spoke with Ignis Scientia, and told him that I was going to go ahead of them. I informed him that I needed to speak with you in private about Crownsgaurd matters, and that I'd meet up with them here in Hammerhead._

"Thank you for informing me, Khristia." He stated in a composed voice laying his hand on her shoulder telling Nai'lia to head over to Takka's, followed by him informing her that he'd join her once he'd spoken with the garage owner, Cid Sophiar. She nodded at him in acknowledgement before making her way to Takka's to wait on him to join her. Once there she headed inside and was warmly greeted by Takka. Nai'lia nodded back at him in greeting sitting down at the booth nearest to the door, and waited on the marshal to show up.

Takka made his way over to the booth where she had sat down at, and smiled handing her a menu which she took from him and began to look it over. Once Nai'lia had looked it over, she pointed out to him what she wanted and he began to take her order down before heading to the kitchen to prepare it for her. While Takka was preparing Nai'lia's meal the marshal arrived, sitting down in the booth across from her; bridging his fingers in front of his face, and sitting his chin on top of them looking her straight in the eyes.

"Monica and Dustin got out of Insomnia alive, along with Iris Amicitia and her butler Jared, including Jared's grandson Talcott too. Monica is currently stationed at the Prairie Outpost north of here at the moment, and Dustin, Jared and Talcott along with Iris are on their way to Lestallum along with other refugees right now." He informed Nai'lia in an informative voice and she nodded in acknowledgement again. Closing her eyes she bridged her own fingers too, laying her chin on top of them going over all the events that led up to Nai'lia meeting with the marshal in Hammerhead.

"Here you go, Nai'lia. Your meal is ready." She heard Takka say as he approached the booth, and she opened her eyes nodding at him in thanks when he sat her plate of Leiden Jambalaya and a cup of Ebony down in front of her. He nodded back at Nai'lia then headed back over to the front counter where he began to wipe it down, and greeted customers as they entered the establishment. Looking up at the marshal, Nai'lia motioned toward the plate as if to ask him if he wanted any. He shook his head saying no, telling her that she should eat, and she nodded before going to back to eating followed by her taking a sip of Ebony.

"Are you alright?" The marshal asked Nai'lia in a serious voice catching her off guard. She looked up at him again seeing a small spark of concern appear in his eyes; she brushed the hair out of her face going over his question, then she methodically pulled out her cellphone again and slowly, but surely began to type out another message before handing it over to him to read.

 _I'm alright marshal, don't worry. I've already mourned the loss of the king and the fall of Insomnia. Now I must fulfill the duty that was given to me. I will continue to see the prince and his friends to Altissia, if it's that last thing I do._

He nodded his head handing the cellphone back to her, and stood up from the booth looking down at Nai'lia while laying his hand on her shoulder once again. She nodded back at him in understanding standing up herself. Heading over to the front counter where Takka was she paid him for her meal then followed the marshal out of the diner making their way over to where Nai'lia's motorcycle was parked.

"I will see you at the Prairie Outpost, Khristia." He informed her with an air of finality about him, and headed over to where a standard car that was parked in the parking lot. He nodded getting into the vehicle closing the door behind him; he started the engine, slowly pulling out of the station and driving away from Hammerhead, making his way to meet up with Monica at the Prairie Outpost.

Once he was gone she headed inside the mini mart to look around to occupy her time waiting for the others to arrive; walking over to one of the store's shelves Nai'lia examined what the store had in stock with a serious look on her face. Looking out the window she saw Cindy waiting in front of the store and walked outside coming to stand next to her as they waited for Prince Noctis, and his friends to arrive with her arms clasped behind her back standing at attention. Noticing Nai'lia's presence she looked over at her contemplating who she was; upon seeing what she was wearing Cindy knew straight away that Nai'lia had to be waiting on the prince, and the others to arrive like she was.

"Howdy, we've never met before. The name's Cindy Aurum. What's yours, hun?" She greeted as she turned and held out her hand to Nai'lia. She slowly looked over at her seeing the hand she was holding out to her, Nai'lia shook it pulling out her cellphone promptly with her other hand starting to type out a message along with her name, and handing it over to Cindy who looked at her confused for a moment. Shaking her head to clear away the confusion she took it from Nai'lia, slightly tipping her hat back as she began reading what she had typed.

 _It's nice to meet you, Cindy; my name is Nai'lia Khristia, and I'm a member of the Crownsguard. I'm waiting for the prince and his friends to arrive. Whom I'm sure you and your grandfather are waiting on too?_

"That we are, Nai'lia. The marshal wanted paw paw to pass on a message to the prince, and make sure he knew where he was headed." Cindy stated in a thoughtful voice giving her a small smile before she handed the phone back to Nai'lia; hearing the Regalia she turned her head to watch as it pulled into the gas station. She greeted Prince Noctis and his friends as they got out of the car and spoke with them; during their conversation the prince asked where the marshal was, and Cindy informed him that he had checked out the business along with leaving a message with her grandfather for him.

Prince Noctis and the others headed towards the garage where Cid was waiting on them, and Nai'lia nodded at Cindy as she walked past her making her way to the garage too. Upon arriving inside Nai'lia saw Cid sitting down with everyone standing around him, and she came to stand next to Ignis listening to him talk about King Regis and how he saw Niflheim's attack coming from a mile away; saying that the king wasn't born yesterday, and how he dealt with the hand that he had been dealt. He went on to tell Prince Noctis how King Regis wasn't going to go down without a fight, but in the end enough just wasn't enough.

"You need something else. You talk to Cor." He told Prince Noctis in a grave voice as he placed his wrench on the table beside the picture of King Regis, the marshal, himself and Weshkam before standing up saying how he couldn't remember the last time that he saw King Regis, placing his hand on his back as he headed outside. As he walked past her she saw look of loss in his eyes, and understood the feelings that he felt at that moment for Nai'lia had felt the same way when she had learned of Insomnia's fall along with the death of the king and his shield. Knowing that her friend's didn't survive the fall was hard on her too; they were like a second family to Nai'lia, one that she came to eventually open up to over the years.

Looking over at the Noctis she saw him looking down at the picture, and when he and the others began to make their way outside the garage Nai'lia followed right behind them. Cid stopped them outside informing Noctis that the marshal would be waiting at the tombs for them, and told him that he was located to the North West of Hammerhead past the Prairie Outpost. After that they made our way over to where their vehicles were parked. Making her way over to her bike without delay, Nai'lia put on her helmet on followed by firing up the motorcycle's engine as Noctis and the others climbed into their car waiting for Ignis to start up the Regalia.

Pulling out of Hammerhead she followed behind the Regalia as it made its way to the Prairie Outpost, and after thirty minutes of driving on both parts they turned onto the dirt road that led up to the outpost and parked upon arriving at their destination. Cutting off their engines and getting out, or off their vehicles considering she was driving a motorcycle they made their our way inside the outpost where Monica was waiting on them; upon seeing everyone she knelt on the ground with her arm lying on top of her knee looking up at the prince.

"Your Highness. I'm glad you're safe." Monica stated with a look of relief on her face, and stood up as Gladio began asking her where the others were. She looked over at him with a solemn look on her face and informed him that most of the Crownsguard didn't make it, and that it took all they had to escort his sister out of the city. She then informed him that Dustin was with Iris, and that he was seeing her rest of the way to Lestallum.

After Gladio had stated that he owed Monica and Dustin big time, Nai'lia stepped away from the wall she had leaned against and walked over to where he and Noctis were. Monica told them to head to the royal tomb where the marshal waited for them, and headed out the back of the outpost; Prompto and Ignis following right behind them.

"Across the land, syleblossoms from Tenebrae can be seen displayed in memoriam. With no remains to mourn, throngs have gathered in Altissia to pay their respects." Was heard coming from a small radio that sat upon a cart with a bundle of syleblossoms on it too. Knowing who it was that was being talked about we made our way over to a hunter, who was standing next to an old car who greeted Noctis and the others; he asked them if they could take a little time out, and if they would mind tracking down some more tags.

This confused her at first, for she didn't know who he was, but then Nai'lia remembered when she first stopped in at Hammerhead looking for information on the prince and his friends. Takka had told her about him; that before they had left Hammerhead to make their way to Galdin Quay, Cindy had asked them to search for a man named Dave upon completing a quest for Cid, which had them taking out Reapertail's near the Hammerhead outpost. Once Dave was done speaking with Noctis, and they had taken on the quest, they continued on their way to meet with the marshal at the royal tomb.

Ten minutes into their trek up they came upon a fork in the path; with her listening to their conversation the entire time, they took a left continuing up the path that lead to the tomb. The closer they drew nearer to the tomb they began hearing a group of Daggerquil flying around, and knew that they would prove to be a problem for them along the way. Slipping her engraved dual blades out of their sheaths on her back, Nai'lia locked onto them aiming at the nearest Daggerquil's and using warp strike on it.

The battle ensued quickly, and between the five of them they defeated all of their targets in under five minutes; once it was over Daggerquil's lay dead all around leaving them all covered in sweat. Shaking the blood from her blades, Nai'lia promptly sheathed them back in their sheaths following behind the others as they made their way to the royal tomb where the marshal waited for their arrival.

Entering the tomb Ignis greeted the marshal whom turned around to look at them with a serious look on his face, and began to speak to Noctis straightaway. "At last, Your Highness." He said as they all situated themselves around the coffin where one of the Lucian king's lay before them. "Yeah, wanna tell me what I'm here for?" Noctis asked the marshal as Gladio stepped closer to him as Cor stepped closer to the coffin holding his hand out looking upon it.

"The power of kings, passed from the old to the new through the bonding of souls. One such soul lies before you. To claim your forbears' power is your birthright and duty as king." He explained to Noctis with a serious voice with his arms spread out. Lowering his hands he to his side looking at the prince. During Cor's explanationNai'lis had made her way unnoticed to the other side of the tomb, never missing what was being said, or done between the two of them.

"My duty as king of what?" Noctis brusquely asked Cor stepping towards him, but the marshal began to walk around informing him that now was not the time for questioning his calling making the prince scoff with indignation. "A king is sworn to protect his people." Cor continued on, but Noctis let out a breathy laugh at what the marshal had said. "And yet he chose to protect only one prince. Was that his calling? Forsake the masses to spare his own son?"

From where she stood behind Cor she couldn't see the look on his face, but Nai'lia knew from his body language what he was thinking about. Closing her eyes she continued to listen to their conversation, and when Noctis slammed his hand on the edge of the coffin and raising his voice she opened them to see that he was at war with himself. Nai'lia looked around at the other three picking up on their body language to gauge what they were feeling about this, and closed her eyes once again letting out a silent sigh.

"Why did he lie to me?" Noctis asked with a hint of despair tinging his voice; his hands were resting against the coffin, his head was bowed and his eyes were shut tight. Moving again Cor informed Noctis that the king didn't want him to remember him as the king, but with what time he had left he wanted to be remembered as his father. Hearing that my prince was trying to hold back his sob she looked on as the marshal finished speaking with Noctis. "I guess he left me with no choice." Noctis said coming to terms with himself pushing away from the coffin, and holding his hand out towards it while we looked on.

The sword became transparent rising from the coffin surrounded by light, and gradually rose higher into the air before flying towards Noctis piercing his chest followed by it spinning around him as he reached a hand towards his chest. "The power of kings goes with you, Your Majesty." Cor told the prince and Nai'lia nodded her head in silent agreement with him. Walking around them both she made her way outside to wait while Noctis talked with the marshal. Breathing in the fresh air Nai'lia looked up at the clear blue sky lost in thought about the conversation that had taken place inside.

As everyone stepped out of the royal tomb her thoughts returned to the present as she overheard Cor informing Noctis about him enlisting the help of the hunters to locate the other royal tombs. "Where's the one nearby you mentioned?" Noctis asked the marshal who answered without missing a beat. "Keycatrich Trench. We know there to be a crypt deep inside the tunnels." They all began to make their way to where the trench was located when they came upon a small pack of Sabertusk's; drawing their weapons everyone started to fight them off one by one, and just as swiftly as they had started fighting they had slain them all.

Cor asked Prompto if he was alright after we sent, or put our weapons away catching him off guard with his question. "Uh… yes sir. I'm fine sir." Prompto nervously answered him as everyone began to get a move on again, and rapidly picking up their pace to get to where they needed to go. Gazing back and forth between the both of them she wondered what kind of connection they shared, but shook her head to once again focus on the mission at hand. As they all drew near the trench Cor began to speak again informing them that a fierce battle had been waged there years ago between Insomnia and the empire. "It all went to ruin, and after that, the empire moved in like it owned the place."

Author's Note: Hi everyone, I'm back. Sorry it's taken so long to update this story, but a lot has happened since I last updated it. We've finally settled into our new home. I hope you enjoy this new chapter everyone, and I'm looking forward to seeing what all of you think. This is the second part to a three part chapter.


End file.
